Ten Tracks Today – 23rd April 2012

It’s the rhythms that are the attraction with this cue and the way that Williams skilfully passes the energy between the various sections of the orchestra. The score itself is not one of my favourites but this is a track that I do come back to.

02 – “Main Title – Reprise” – Forbidden Warrior – Mike Verta

Right from the off the initial fanfare shouts Far Eastern influences before for track settles back into more regular orchestral scoring. Verta gets the balance between the two just right, introducing the oriental fanfare throughout the track.

03 – “Main Title” – Half Light – Brett Rosenberg

It’s a shame that I have not heard more from Rosenberg because his score for this Demi Moore vehicle features some particularly beautiful thematic material. Full of emotion this title theme is one of my favourites and is always welcomed when it appears on a playlist.

04 – “L’Ennemi Intime” – L’Ennemi Intime – Alexandre Desplat

I remember being disappointed on hearing this score in its entirety – another case of high expectations making it impossible for a score to deliver. This title track has a hint of the East that surfaces within Desplat’s brooding emotional material. It’s a score that needs to be listened to in manageable bite-sized pieces.

05 – “Trunkin’” – Underworld: Evolution – Marco Beltrami

This, for me, is this composer at his best. Full-on orchestral power with added pounding percussive rhythms for good measure. There’s no subtlety with this piece but it’s just so damn good. It tends to get drowned out in the final mix of the film itself so it is good to have it isolated and to savour by itself.

The composer’s see-sawing solo string device was an immediate hook to which my enthusiasm for this score was caught. A track (and score) that builds an uneasiness in the listener that can be exploited at any time.

07 – “Fire & Ice – Love Duet” – Fire & Ice – Carl Davis

By its very nature balletic in style this cue offers a break from the bombast of a lot of film music today. I try not to think of this as musical accompaniment for the ice skaters Torvill and Dean or (for some reason) I would perhaps take a dislike to it.

08 – “All Things Visible” – Murder In The First – Christopher Young

One of Young’s most accomplished scores. The composer composed one of his most beautiful themes for this movie though this particular track only hints at this theme. Played entirely by strings it still has an emotional power even though there is no overt statement of the powerful theme.

09 – “The CREEP List (v.2)” – All The President’s Men – David Shire

It’s the orchestration that’s the attraction in this particular track. The music itself plays almost as a bridge between scenes but the inventive orchestration makes it an interesting piece to hear.

10 – “Old Man” – Desert Flower – Martin Todsharow

Orchestration plays a role in the appeal of this track also. Sweeping strings play out an attractive theme before acoustic guitar and ethnic woodwinds add another layer of interest to the track. Todsharow is another composer who seems to have disappeared off the radar after this particular score.